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Sunday, 14 February 2016

Is Wearable the Game Changer?

Today smart fitness bands are ubiquitous. One out of every 10 people in corporate India is tracking their physical activity. You call it a fad or a new form of living.Skeptics of wearable are also aplenty. People say that after few weeks or months, wearable gadget sits in your drawer.In a controlled study done by GetActive, it revealed that in a random group of 5,000 white collar workers, 35% people continued using the smart band, after incentives were removed. The study was conducted for one year.

Considering the fact that less than 3% population in India can stick to their fitness regime, 35% consistency is a big achievement.

Fitness trackers with associated app work on human psychology of motivation, trigger and action. Initial motivation comes from user DATA. After a while, this DATA helps user to win a badge. Last but not the least, user's leaderboard position (with unknown people, but with similar interest group), triggers their competitive spirit. Barriers to "action" are drastically reduced in smart band. Just move around in any place you are, and start accumulating STEPS.

In corporate environment, where peers are part of this initiative, motivation & trigger factors are multiplied by competitive events. This is further reinforced by rewards & recognition program initiated by corporate, around physical activity.

In another study, GetActive team observed that 67% population could transition from lower activity levels to WHO recommended activity levels within 100 days, in corporate sponsored environment.

Behavior psychologists believe that such magnitude of impact on positive behavior change is significant. Wearable devices could play a game-changing role in reversing the India Inc's health burden.